One of the name’s used to describe our God is Jehovah Shammah--THE GOD WHO IS THERE,

Many homes in American are suffering from the phantom father. The father who is not there & even in some homes even when he is there, their not there.

Hundreds of men have fathered children, & simply walked away from the family—Let me say fathering a child does not make a man a father. For to carry the title of father, also carries with it great responsibilities.

Other men though living in the family, are so absorbed by there careers that they seldom spend time with the children--the effects have & are devastating, not only to the family unit, but we see its effect in our society.

Were you aware that a decade ago, the number of murders committed by teen was approx. 1000 a year, where as today it is 4000 a year.

Some would like to blame poverty, broken homes both physical & mental abuse--but as one psychologist put it there are many that come form the same back grounds that are not committing acts of violence—

Recent reports tell us:Because of a lack of father figures in the Home-- in the past 30 years there have been:550% increase in violent crime400% increase in illegitimate births200% increase in teen. pregnancies.300% increase in teen suicideMore that 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes.

The home doesn’t need a man in the house, it needs a father!

In this portion of scripture we are told of a man by the name of Jairus, he was a religious man, a ruler of the local synagogue, but he was also a father--

v 21 one tells us that Jesus is coming back into Capernaum—He is coming from the tombs of gadarea-He has delivered the possessed man--upon arriving at the shore people are eventually had been looking, waiting for him--for as he arrived, much people gathered around him.

But we now focus upon one individual--one of the rulers if the Synagogue --his position is important:

Jarius was a presiding elder of the synagogue--an assembly that included the whole community of Capernaum, his position made him one of the most prominent men of the congregation. He was neither a teacher nor a preacher, but was responsible for the order of the synagogue service.He was the keeper of the sacred books (which were the property of the community)--he was in a sense the president of the congregation & the administrative head of the city, The city manage so to speak.

Every service he appointed someone to lead in prayer & someone to read the scripture--if there was a visiting rabbi we would invite him to read from the scriptures & comment on them.

So here we see a man with a high social position, a man known among the people, a man of prestige & power, but a man who had a desperate need-

Sir you will never become so powerful, so popular., that will never rise so high that problems, & troubles can not reach you.